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THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE (COE)
Report on Euthanasia presented to the Parliamentary Assembly of the COE
LATEST NEWS
We have the pleasure to inform you that "The Marty report" has been rejected by a vast majority in the Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe on Wednesday the 27th 2005. You can read more at:
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/PA-Sessions/APRIL 2005/20050427_news_debat.asp
We would like to thank all our members who had contributed to make this happen.
Read details about the development hereunder.
07 January 2004: ACTION TOWARDS THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The “Société française d’accompagnement et de soins palliatifs” (SFAP) EAPC collective member has informed the EAPC Board of Directors about a "report on euthanasia (no 9898)"
http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/doc03/EDOC9898.htm
which should have been discussed by the parliamentary assembly of the COE in their session at the end of September 2003.
With a number of resolutions presented by Mr. Dick Marty, Switzerland, this report invites the parliamentary assembly to call governments of the member states of the Council of Europe ‘to consider whether legislation should be envisaged, where it has not already been introduced, to exempt from prosecution doctors who agree to help terminally ill patients undergoing constant, unbearable pain and suffering without hope of any improvement in their condition, to end their lives at their persistent, voluntary and well considered request, subject to prescribed rigorous and transparent conditions and procedures’.
SFAP has reacted strongly, contacting its national representatives on the COE. The discussion of the report has now been postponed until the session of the Assembly held from 26 to 30 in January 2004.
The EAPC’s Board of Director has decided to react to the report by highlighting to the parliamentary assembly the need to implement better palliative care.
The EAPC as NGO has written directly to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, asking to inform the parliamentary assembly about the stand of the EAPC. Download letter
The EAPC has contacted all the national Associations and asked them to discuss the report within (the Board of) your Association and if they think it appropriate to approach the parliamentary representatives of their country.
The following National Associations Collective members informed the EAPC Head office and the President that they sustain the EAPC or have acted themselves at national level.
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FRANCE
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Société Française d'Accompagnement de Soins Palliatifs |
SFAP |
National Action |
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GREECE
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Hellenic Association for Pain Control & Palliative Care |
HAPCPC |
Sustain EAPC |
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ITALY
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Federazione Cure Palliative Onlus |
FedCP |
National Action |
| Società Italiana di Cure Palliative |
SICP |
National Action |
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NORWAY
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Norwegian Association for Palliative Medicine |
NFPM |
National Action |
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SPAIN
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Soc. Española de Cuidados Paliativos |
SECPAL |
National Action |
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SWEDEN
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Swedish Association for Palliative Medicine |
SFPM |
Sustain EAPC |
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SWITZERLAND
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Société Suisse de Médecine et de Soins Palliatifs |
SSMSP |
National Action |
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UNITED KINGDOM
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Association of Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Social Workers |
AHSPCSW |
Sustain EAPC |
The EAPC has organised together with the two Italian Collective members a press conference in Milano, National Cancer institute, 20 January 2004, which has had good rebound in the Italian press.
We would like to officially thank the Agency Nanetti & Associati for supporting the EAPC in this activity free of charge.
18 February 2004
In date of 9 January the EAPC has received an official reply from the Head of the Private office of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly. Download letter
The MARTY report on Euthanasia (background information hereafter), scheduled for the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, once again has been taken of the agenda. Reasons are amongst others the number of reactions of members of the parliamentary assembly.
We are sure the actions of the EAPC and our members have contributed to the postponement.
With January 2004 the EAPC, as NGO of the Council of Europe, has obtained the participative status. The EAPC intends to write amendments on the Marty resolution, that thanks to the new status of NGO's can be brought into the parliamentary meeting directly, provided they are supported by other NGO's in the health care group and by 10 parliamentaries.
07 May 2004
The MARTY report on Euthanasia (background information hereafter), had been submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in date of 27 March. It was not adopted and sent back to the Commission to be represented within one year. This means the original draft resolution is withdrawn and had to rewritten again, or to quote the secretary of the committee: Mr Marty had to start from scratch.
November 2004
Since May the committee of the Marty report has had two meetings the last one on the 15th of November 2004. The new title of the rewritten document will be: Assistance to patients at the end of life. The next meeting to discuss the new draft will be on the 17th of December in Paris, . If the Committee agrees with the new report, adopted or not, the new resolution will again be send to the parliamentary council, which gives new opportunities to make amendments.
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